#flora weekend

All varieties of orange trees produce small white blossoms with five petals in a distinctive star shape. These orange blossoms have a light citrus smell and are commonly used in fragrances and fragrance oils. They can also be eaten raw but due to their bitterness, they are often boiled and the essence used for sweet and savory dishes like Moroccan chicken bastilla.

Roses are one of the oldest known flower species and the oldest known flower to be grown specifically for decorative purposes. Roses were cultivated in Ancient Rome, Greece, China, and Japan and have an equally wide spread in modern times. Roses not only look stunning but they are also completely edible from rosehip to petal.

Known scientifically as myosotis, forget-me-nots are associated with love and remembrance. Their name comes from a German legend where a knight throws a bouquet of the picked flowers to his lover along with his last words as he is swept away in a river. Forget-me-nots are also historically used in funeral portraits and are a modern symbol for Alzheimer's disease.

Magnolias are thought to be some of the oldest plants in existence with fossil evidence dating back prior to the evolution of bees. They produce pollen rather than nectar, since their original and continuing pollinators are largely species of beetles. Many parts of the magnolia tree have been used in traditional Chinese medicine, especially the bark.

One of the few carnivorous plant varieties, venus fly traps have leaves that snap shut when their trigger hairs are touched repeatedly. This adaptation allows them to trap small insects and prey, which is then broken down with special enzymes to fuel the plant. Despite their infamy, venus fly traps are only native to a very small 75-mile radius region of the Carolinas.

Classified as a living fossil, the ginkgo tree has remained largely unchanged since it's first fossil records over 170 million years ago. Individual trees are long lived as well with a 1,400 year old tree living at the Gu Guanyin Buddhist temple. The most famous feature of a ginkgo tree is that their fan-shaped leaves turn a brilliant yellow color and drop all at once when ready in the fall.

Young sunflowers turn their faces towards the sun and track it's journey across the sky. This is called heliotropism and happens until the flower reaches maturity, at which time it only faces eastward. In addition to being a symbol of sunshine and hope, sunflowers also have a remarkable ability to absorb toxins and have been used to clean up radioactivity and lead in contaminated soil.

Despite its name, the Lily of the Valley is not actually a lily and is a member of the asparagus family. It's been a favorite of royal brides for generations as part of the bouquets of Grace Kelly, Kate Middleton, and Queen Victoria. Lily of the Valley was also the favorite flower of Christian Dior and features heavily in classic perfumes like Diorissimo.